Trump's Move on Paris Climate Accord Shames Our Democracy

Today I feel ashamed.

Ashamed to be American. Ashamed to be a grown-up telling my kids what the grown-ups have done: made the planet a toxic mess and then declined to take responsibility for having done so.

The decision by Donald Trump to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord feels like a gut-punch, there’s just no other way to describe it. It goes against every value I hold dear and everything I want to believe about this country, about our ability to lead, our belief in doing the right thing, the higher mission we hold for our democracy on behalf of the world.

Also Read: Trump Pulls Out of Paris Climate Change Accord: 'Agreement Disadvantages United States'

I can’t tell if Trump thinks he’s going to re-engage on this hard-won treaty or not. As usual, he doesn’t seem to have the courage of Steve Bannon’s convictions. “We are getting out,” he said in his statement, but then immediately confused matters by adding: “But we will start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair. And if we can, that’s great.”

And if not? If not, “apres moi le deluge.” By the way, that’s a phrase I never understood as a child, probably as someone who was too young to conceptualize what happens “after me.” Having Trump as president makes every day feel appropriate to use the phrase: After me, the flood.

Also Read: Hollywood Goes Ballistic Over Trump's Climate Deal Back-Out: 'Crime Against Humanity'

The rich-get-richer tax cuts. The budget cuts to Meals on Wheels, Medicaid, disability, Planned Parenthood. Restoring junk food to school lunch programs. There is really so very little to like or respect about this president. And then today: He spits in the eye of our children. It’s like the death of hope.

Now our president has made what many are calling a reckless decision that make no logical sense — no one seems to think his withdrawal from the accord will create jobs, which is his stated rationale.

America is receding from the world, receding from its critical role as a global leader for good.

There are others who will step in. Emmanuel Macron today spoke words of hope today, in English: “France believes in you. The world believes in you. I know you are a great nation,” he said, offering “in France, a second homeland. Come and work here with us. Let us work together on concrete solutions.”

Statement on the US' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreements. #parisagreement https://t.co/T4XOjWZW0Q

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 1, 2017

Today, it won’t be America.

10 Stunning Pieces of Anti-Trump Protest Art, From LED Signs to Paintings Made With Blood (Photos)

Donald Trump has funneled life-blood into a fervent new protest art movement. Artists and photographers are speaking out against Trump's comments and policies with paintbrushes, cameras -- and even bodily fluids. From LED signs to paintings made with human blood, here are 10 thought-provoking pieces of protest art that have emerged since Trump announced his candidacy for president.
Portland-based artist Sarah Levy painted this portrait with her own menstrual blood. The piece, titled "Whatever," is a response to Trump's comment that Fox News host Megyn Kelly had "blood coming out of her wherever."
Sarah Levy
As part of a series called "#SignedByTrump," Aria Watson snapped this photo for a final project in her Intro to Photography class at Clatsop Community College in Oregon. Models posed partially nude with Trump quotes written on their skin.
Aria Watson
Indira Cesarine, founder of The Untitled Space art gallery in New York City, posed in front of pieces from the "Uprising/Angry Women" exhibit. The exhibit premiered in January and featured works by women artists.
The Untitled Space
This piece by Julie Curtiss, titled "Hot Heels," was featured at the "Nasty Women" art exhibition in Queens, New York. According to co-director Jessamyn Fiore, the exhibit was "a message to Trump and the government that you can’t roll back women’s rights without a fight."
Julie Curtiss
Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic Barack Obama "Hope" poster, created this image for Inauguration Day as a way to "reject the hate, fear and open racism that were normalized during the 2016 presidential campaign." The woman pictured is 33-year-old Muslim-American, Munira Ahmed.
Shepard Fairey
An NYC grassroots campaign called "Resistance Is Female" utilized telephone booths to showcase protest art and to encourage people to "keep fighting, keep speaking up, persevere."
@mythny for Resistance is Female (Instagram)
Continuing the bloody trend, Los Angeles-based artist Illma Gore collaborated with the artist collective, Indecline, to create this mural. The mural, titled "Rise Up Thy Young Blood," was painted with human blood from 50 donors and recalls Henry Mosler's 19th-century painting, "The Birth of the Flag."
Illma Gore/Indecline
Inspired by cardboard protest signs, artist Andrea Bowers made this sign as a "feminist gesture." According to Bowers, "I feel outraged that Donald Trump was elected after what he said publicly about women."
Andrea Bowers (Photograph by Robert Wedemeyer, courtesy of the artist and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects)
The anonymous street artist known as Bambi painted this parody of the movie "La La Land" in Islington, North London. In lieu of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, the work shows Donald Trump dancing with U.K. Prime Minister, Theresa May.
Bambi
New York-based illustrator Daniel Pagan created this piece, called "Tweeter in Chief." In an interview with Fusion, Pagan described Trump's election as "'sheer fuel' for his art."
Daniel Pagan

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President Trump’s election sparks a worldwide resurgence of artistic expression

Donald Trump has funneled life-blood into a fervent new protest art movement. Artists and photographers are speaking out against Trump's comments and policies with paintbrushes, cameras -- and even bodily fluids. From LED signs to paintings made with human blood, here are 10 thought-provoking pieces of protest art that have emerged since Trump announced his candidacy for president.

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